Lotus Elise hardtop installation

With 95+ degree weather in Louisville for the past 10 days or so I finally said "enough is enough" and decided to put the hardtop back on. What a great opportunity to write up a "Lotus Elise hardtop walkthrough"!



These are the trim pieces to cover up the hardtop hardware once its installed...




This is the hardware used to secure the front of the hardtop to the Elise windshield frame. You will need a larger torx bit for all of the bolts in the install/removal.




This is the hardware at the rear of the hardtop. Put the hardtop on and line the hook on this hardware up with the black piece on the Elise rollbar hoop/cover. Do the same on the other side and tighten both down so that the hook grips the black piece and pulls the hardtop down tight.




This is where the front hardware goes. Slide the posts from the hardware into their holes on the window frame. Slide the bolts (with washers) through the hardware and slowly into the hardtop. Be very careful not to strip the threads in the hardtop as I imagine its a real pain to fix. Tighten both sides down and grab the trim pieces.

The small trim pieces cover the rear hardware, just push it on and let the official Lotus velcro do its magic. The front panel needs to be bolted down using the hardware in it and the holes on the hardtop. That about sums it up. Not the best guide but hopefully it'll help you out if your stumped with your Elise hardtop.


The car goes in for service at Midwestern Auto Group Lotus next Thursday. They will be performing the 7,500 mile service, adjusting the driver's side window to get rid of the 1/4" gap between it and the top, removing the driver's side turn signal to fix the condensation build up, replace the little rubber piece on the gas door so it will sit flush when closed and replace the wheel center cap that fell off a week ago. Hopefully I won't have an experience like the one we had in Atlanta at Lotus of Atlanta with the car's 1,500 mile service. Only time will tell :)

No real photos for this post but I'm SURE I'll have some Ferrari/Aston Martin/Porsche/Lamborghini photos after the dealer visit next week. Maybe I'll get a Vanquish as a loaner car ;)

Attention Grabbing

You know, I really wonder if all of these little Lotus cars get the same kind of attention. My Krypton Green Elise gets a TON of looks, so many that I've actually kinda tuned it out and don't really notice it much any more. But then I catch glimpses like this...


(crappy camera phone quality, direct sunlight KILLS the quality)

Some random guy had another, unrelated, random guy take a photo of him in front of the car. Not just one photo but two or three. This doesn't really bother me in the least, but it does make me wonder if its the car, the color or a combination of the two. 99% of the people who see it smile instantly or point and get their friends to look as well. Thats cool. But again, is it the car, the color or both?

The only other Lotus Elise' in Louisville are a Chrome Orange and two Saffron Yellows, obviously all bright colors, so thats not much help. I want to find out if a black Elise or a silver Elise get the same attention as my Krypton Green (or other BRIGHT) colored Elise' get. You could paint a Toyota Camry Krypton Green and it would snap some necks as it rode by, but would the stare continue until its out of sight like it does with the Lotus? Most owners say its just the car and not the color, but a black Elise HAS to slip under the radar even a little bit more than a Krypton Green Lotus Elise.

Anyway, thats my thought of the week. Feel free to chime in with comments in the comment section! :)